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US Army officers killed by Afghan policeman linked to Pakistani madrassa

By Bill RoggioFebruary 26, 2012 2:23 PM

Some details are emerging about the murder of two US Army officers in the Afghan Interior Ministry yesterday. CNN reports that the shooter, a police intelligence sergeant, attended a madrassa, or religious school, in Pakistan.

The man who shot two military officers Saturday at the interior ministry was a junior intelligence officer with ties to a Pakistani religious school, an Afghan counter-terrorism official said.

The gunman was identified as Abdul Saboor, an employee in the ministry's intelligence department, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

"We believe it was 100% linked to the Quran burning because of the religious background of this junior officer. He spent two months in a Pakistani madrassa," the official said.

The interior ministry confirmed that the gunman in Saturday's shooting is believed to be one of its employees, whose "whereabouts are unknown." Police "are making every effort to find him as soon as possible," the ministry said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting Saturday. A Taliban spokesman gave the same first name for the shooter that the counter-terrorism official gave Sunday. But the official did not say whether the alleged gunman was affiliated with the Taliban.

The Guardian identified the Afghan shooter as an "ethnic Tajik" named Abdul Saboor Salangi, who was from the Salang district in Kunduz province. He shot the two US officers in the back of the head.

Abdul Saboor Salangi had been an ordinary policeman with a history of absenteeism who dropped out of the force and spent some time in Pakistan before returning to another police job with the ministry, said a security source who asked not to be named.

Police raided his home in a small village in the southern part of Salang district, where he lived with his mother, wife and two children.

"When the police first sent a delegation into his house for the investigation, they didn't tell her why, so she thought her son had died and couldn't stop crying," said the Salang district governor, Abdulshakur Qudosi.

The two officers, reported to be a colonel and a major, were found dead in a room inside the interior ministry that was used only by foreigners and secured with combination locks. They had been shot in the back of the head, the Associated Press reported.

The reason he became accepted back into the Afghan fold was because he was fed intel by the opfor to make him seem loyal and even indispensable.

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The personal secretary to President Nguyen Van Thieu was a North Vietnamese agent his entire life. He died in Orange County, California, ratting on the regime's foes even from America. He was finally detected after Hanoi announced his hero status and awarded him publicly, for the first time, their highest honors. Said announcement changed his funeral arrangements.

The personal secretary to Willy Brandt was a Soviet/Stasi agent for decades. Upon this disclosure he left office in shame.

And we have the Robert Philip Hanssen case; and the Aldrich Ames case; and the Camp Chapman debacle; ....

Whew.

On the evidence the enemy agent should not have had access to these officers -- but he did, anyway.

Plainly, lock combinations were compromised. That took foresight.

The idea that this perp was motivated by the uproar is absurd on its face. He was following orders to eliminate key players within the ISAF.

No doubt he left the building with critical documents and thumb drives which are wending their way over to the ISI.

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The grand tactic of burning your own agents so that one of their number can take credit -- and gain acceptance as a truly effective counter-spy goes at least as far back as the Tzar's Okhrana. They used such gambits constantly.

There's pretty good evidence that Stalin, himself, started out as an Okhrana agent. Time after time every radical in his area was arrested in mass sweeps -- while Stalin wasn't. (!) Later, he re-jiggered his loyalty. ( To himself, of course. )

This same tactic is fulsomely spelled out in Hollywood's 13 Rue Madeleine, a plot that is entirely focused on double agents and Nazis. Left unsaid was the reality that the Nazis got most of their worst brutalities directly from the Okhrana and its successors -- the Chekists in all of their forms.

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Folks, we're engaged in a fulsome spy-war with the ISI -- and many others. Because of our overwhelming conventional military and financial power the opfor has shifted over to corrupting our politicians and our politics -- with extra special effort at blinding us to the truth.

This is why and how OBL managed to survive on a goat-a-day inside a military city: Abbottabad.

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This assassination ( for that's what it was ) indicates that the semi-burned korans were a PLANT.

EVERYTHING is being timed to the 'negotiations' in Qatar.

Obviously our negotiating position is now so compromised that bad things must happen.

The ISI is making it plain: they're WAY ahead of the clever fellows in Washington.

Is it any wonder we need to maintain a carrier force in the Indian Ocean?

Posted by Brett at February 26, 2012 5:29 PM ET:

Afghan violence has a connection to Pakistan? INCONCEIVABLE!!!

On the other hand; if we were only to kick out of Afghanistan all those with connections to Pakistan, not only would we eliminate all violence, but we'd also be left with a totally empty country.

Posted by Raf at February 26, 2012 6:28 PM ET:

He may have spent 2 months in a Pakistani Madrasaa but presumably, he must have spent his life in afghanistan. Welcome to afghanistan. This afghan national army you boy are training, is going to fall apart exactly when your dollars stop rolling into afghan pockets.

Posted by mike merlo at February 26, 2012 8:01 PM ET:

Now we'll find out just how savvy Afghanistan's NDS is. 'Chumming' moment's such as this one are unique opportunity's. One of the true measure's of just about any Intel/Political Org is how deftly they exploit spontaneous social movements.

Igniting an Intifada is not the easiest of tasks but keeping them stoked is indicative of an organized presence lurking in the shadows.

As quoted in LWJ:
The man who shot two military officers Saturday at the interior ministry was a junior intelligence officer with ties to a Pakistani religious school, an Afghan counter-terrorism official said.

Who would have thought such a thing?
These extremist schools just breed hatred for the west amongst young men who never give it a second thought, just hate.
These guys have never ventured very far from home, are of limited education, if any and are easily brainwashed into the future suicide bomber/builder of tomorrow. I hope they do get their 72 virgins after
shaheed.

Posted by RJFloyd at February 27, 2012 3:14 AM ET:

How could this guy get any kind clearance, ties to Pakistan, madrassa studies, absenteeism, if these things were known beforehand, some heads should roll.

Posted by Paul D at February 27, 2012 7:36 AM ET:

Pakistan the home of intolerance funded by Saudi arabia

Posted by gb at February 27, 2012 10:52 AM ET:

Another cowardly killing. Of course, he shot them in the back, it's never face to face with these animals.

Posted by Al at February 27, 2012 11:58 AM ET:

"Abdul Saboor Salangi had been an ordinary policeman with a history of absenteeism who dropped out of the force and spent some time in Pakistan before returning to another police job with the ministry, said a security source who asked not to be named."

How did he even get that job. Serious, incompetent error in vetting.

Posted by MH at February 28, 2012 2:04 AM ET:

That is a proof that the Pakistani intel are operating inside the the Afghan security.

Posted by Imran at February 28, 2012 2:41 AM ET:

The US must learn lesson from history and the history is that Afghans will never tolerate hegemony/ occupation. The sooner this lesson is revisted the better it would be for the US.
Dont waste precious lives for a cause un achievable.

Posted by Devin Leonard at February 28, 2012 2:02 PM ET:

There should have been some kind of inner security watching these two men advisors that were killed. One advisor being killed is somewhat understandable but TWO is ridiculous! We need security upon security and if a shot is heard there needs to be a Marine with a rifle there in a heartbeat to kill the assailiant...period, end of story!

Posted by Jason A at February 28, 2012 4:03 PM ET:

What a colossal waist of taxpayer dollars and human life - American life.

Posted by Lt Col Mike S at February 29, 2012 8:53 AM ET:

So, we end up with American tax $$ being sent to PAK for them to train ISI agents that kill our own? Great policy.

I flew with Lt Col Loftus, and no he was not Army as reported. God Bless him and his family, he will be missed.